Darwin Days Hit Fintel

In honor of the 4th Annual Darwin Days Celebration, Roanoke College will be presenting the Life and Times of Darwin, a mini-museum in Fintel Library. Opening on Jan. 31, the small exhibit includes eight panels on loan from the Virginia Museum of Natural History. The event is sponsored by the Biology Department and the Biology Club.

When entering Fintel, one is greeted with the history of Darwin. The large panels include everything from Darwin’s theory of evolution to his findings at Galapagos Islands. Having visited the islands in 1835, Darwin collected the most comprehensive plant and animal collection of the time. Part of that collection included 15 species of birds. Darwin’s study of the collection along with his knowledge gained from the trip led to the formation of his theory of evolution of species by natural selection. The theory came to transform biological thought.

In addition to the mini-museum, RC After Dark will be holding Darwin Day festivities Fri. Feb. 4 at 7 p.m. in the Colkett Center. The wide range of activities includes an Evolution Fossil Museum, The Gene Pool T-shirt Pick, Survival of the Fittest Scavenger Hunt, and “Darwin’s Global Bash Birthday Party”. The Fossil Museum will include interesting artifacts such as tiny shells and dinosaur bones.

The Darwin Day’s celebrations are sure to attract many students to the man behind the theory of evolution.

“I hope it makes them realize that Darwin is an incredibly interesting human being”, said Dorothy Belle Poli, assistant professor of Biology. “Darwin has affected so many things, so to label him as being â€˜just a science guy’ is a big mistake.”

The Darwin Day’s celebrations will conclude on Feb. 14, two days after Darwin’s birthday.